TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
RI urged to halt executions
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Rupert Colville says the Indonesian government should refrain from executing individuals convicted for drug offenses by exercising its constitutional authority to grant clemency
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
U
N High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Rupert Colville says the Indonesian government should refrain from executing individuals convicted for drug offenses by exercising its constitutional authority to grant clemency.
'Indonesia's relentless efforts to fight the scourge of drug trafficking are understandable, but this is not the way to do it. By taking this course, Indonesia sadly will weaken its own position when advocating for its own nationals who sometimes face the death penalty abroad,' said Colville in a statement on Saturday.
The government executed six people found guilty of drug offenses in January and 11 others are expected to face the firing squad soon.
Colville said that in countries that had not abolished the death penalty, international human rights jurisprudence required that capital punishment only be imposed for the most serious crimes of murder or intentional killing.
Drug-related offenses did not fall under the threshold of most serious crimes, he added.
'[...] there is no evidence that the death penalty deters drug crimes or any other crimes more than other forms of punishment. It is not the severity of punishment that deters wrongdoers, but its certainty,' Colville said.
The high commissioner also referred to a note issued by the International Narcotics Control Board on March 4, 2014, which encourages the abolition of the death penalty for drug-related offenses.
'We call on the Indonesian authorities to reinstate the moratorium on the death penalty and conduct a thorough review of all requests for pardon with a view to commutation of sentence,' said Colville.
'We understand that reports have emerged in the last few hours indicating that the executions may have been put on hold. We will continue to monitor developments.' (ebf)(+++)
